Slaughtered Hand

A mistake

Intentional or unintentional

Brought the wrath from all directions

Mobs burned his effigies

Mobs demanded his blood

Some waited for law to take its course

But a few couldn’t wait

They executed their own law

By slaughtering a hand

That wrote things they didn’t like

Though everyone has right to express

Their thoughts and opinions

From nowhere he became famous

His words made him the enemy

Of chauvinists who talks about god

But god never assigned anyone

To execute anyone

For talking against the will of god

The palm less hand strikes the eye

As the symbol of hatred

Spread by heartless

Religiously blinded chauvinists

The enemy of humanity

This is about a person whose hand was butchered by some anti-social miscreants for expressing radical opinions.

Strength Within

Strength isn’t the ability of someone to thrash things

It isn’t the trait of a man who can slam down opponents

It isn’t the cavalry of an arrogant dictator with weapons

It isn’t a toy that can be bought in a mall with a credit card

Strength is the cloud of emotions that can keep one alive

When all the tough situations drag one towards a trench

When the whole world is against you and you are cornered

You never look for a weapon or hideout

You look for strength within the soul at that time

I saw the strength through the words of a girl

Who laughed and fought with me, during her last days

After knowing that she won’t survive after four months

When she came to say goodbye to all the friends

I saw the strength within her to face the worst

Just two days before she died

I saw strength within in the eyes of my dad before he died

As he strived to catch one more breathe to survive

I saw the strength within myself when I signed the document

That proclaimed his death, without shedding any tears

I found strength within when I tried to console my Mum

As she eagerly asked about his survival

I had to reveal the truth cold-hearted

I felt the strength within in the trembling voice of a girl

Who was within moments away from leaving this world

To get back to the life and win over the tough battle

There is no need for riches or advice if one can discover

The strength within the heart, to fight back in life

From any adversities that pop up from time to time

This post is written for Bridget Chumbley's blog carnival, on the topic of strength. 

Image from Unsplash